Toaster with controlled conveyor speed

ABSTRACT

A method of operating an oven to cook a food product that includes changing a heat setting of a heating element of the oven, selecting a cook time for the food product in the oven, driving a heating element of the oven at a heat power input based on the heat setting, predicting a cooking ability of the oven by calculating an estimated temperature in the oven using a formula that is a function of a heat power input during a previous time period, and modifying the cook time to a modified cook time based on the estimated temperature that was calculated using the formula.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/473,285, filed May 16, 2012, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to the field of conveyor toasters, and specifically to mechanisms for controlling the degree of cooking of the food product.

Conveyor toasters typically include a housing having a cook chamber, a conveyor for moving food product through the cook chamber, and heating elements for cooking the food product as it is moved through the cook chamber. In order to control the level of cooking of the food product, it is known to control the speed of the conveyor. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,624,396, assigned to Hatco Corporation discloses a conveyor oven that controls the speed of the conveyor based on the temperature inside the oven. For example, if the temperature in the oven is relatively low, then the conveyor will slow down to allow the food product to cook to the desired level. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,564 discloses a conveyor oven that has pre-programmed cook options with different conveyor speeds and heat percentage for different types of food products.

In order to conserve energy, conveyor toasters often include a standby mode that stops the conveyor and reduces the heat percentage supplied to the heating elements. The standby mode can be entered by pressing an appropriate button (e.g., a “standby” button), or it can be entered automatically upon the detection of no food product on the conveyor for a period of time. The standby mode can be exited by pressing an appropriate button (e.g., a “cook” button), or it can be exited automatically upon the detection of food product on the conveyor.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a conveyor oven comprising a housing defining a cook chamber and a heating element positioned adjacent the cook chamber. A controller is programmed to control a cook time based upon a current estimated temperature in the oven, wherein the current estimated temperature is a function of a heat power input during a previous time period. Preferably, the oven further includes a conveyor positioned to move food product through the cook chamber, and a motor coupled to the conveyor, wherein the controller is programmed to control a speed of the conveyor. In one embodiment, the current estimated temperature is a function of a previous estimated temperature. An element time constant can be used to account for different ovens.

In another aspect of the invention, the controller is programmed to control a cook time based upon a product load calculation, wherein the product load calculation is a function of a presence of food in the oven. In one embodiment, the oven further includes a presence sensor for detecting the presence of food in the oven and providing a corresponding signal to the controller. Preferably, the product load calculation is a function of a previous product load calculation, with or without a corresponding time constant.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an oven embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a section view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a chart showing heat-based speed modification.

FIG. 5 is a chart showing product-based speed compensation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conveyor toaster 10 that embodies the present invention. The toaster includes a housing 12 defining a cook chamber 14, top and bottom heating elements 15,16 positioned adjacent the cook chamber 14, and a conveyor 18 positioned to move food product through the cook chamber 14. A motor 22 is coupled to the conveyor 18 to provide movement to the conveyor 18. The cook chamber 14 has an entrance 24 through which a food product enters the toaster 10 and an exit 26 through which the food product exits the toaster 10 after the food product is cooked. A user input 28 can be used to input information into the toaster 10. A controller 30 is programmed to control the heating element 15,16 and a speed of the conveyor 18 based upon the user input and a variety of parameters and conditions.

The controller is programmed to operate the toaster in one of several different modes corresponding with different food types (e.g., bread, bagels, frozen waffles, etc.) that should be cooked at different heat settings and different cook times. The user can input the appropriate food type into the user input. Each food type will have a programmed desired heat setting HS and desired cook time CT that are pre-programmed based upon the steady-state characteristics of the toaster. Unless otherwise noted, the heat setting HS is presented as a dimensionless number from zero to 100. For example, a heat setting of 25 means that the corresponding heating element should be operating at 25% capacity at steady state, and a heat setting of 100 means that the heating element should be operating at its maximum or 100% capacity at steady state. The cook time CT is presented as the amount of time (e.g., in seconds) that a product takes to get through the toaster. For example, a cook time CT of 45 means that a product traveling on the belt has a throughput time of 45 seconds. For toasters with conveyors, the cook time will be inversely proportional to the conveyor speed. For toasters that do not have a conveyor, the cook time can be the amount of time for a cook cycle, which can be controlled by an alarm or by pushing the food out of the oven at the end of the cook time. For example, for a drawer-type oven, the drawer can pop open at the end of the cook time.

The controller drives the heating elements at a heat power input (e.g., the power provided to the heating elements), which can be represented by a heat percentage HP. The heat percentage HP is a dimensionless number from zero to 100 that represents the actual power level provided to the corresponding heating element. For example, an upper heat percentage HP of 65 means that the upper heating element is driven at 65% of its rated wattage. At steady state, the heat percentage HP of a heating element should approximately correspond with the heat setting HS for that heating element. However, when changing a heat setting, it is often desired to provide a heat percentage HP that is beyond (i.e., above when increasing the temperature and below when decreasing the temperature) the targeted heat setting in order to facilitate a faster change in the cooking ability of the oven. For example, when changing from a heat setting of 40 to a heat setting of 75, the controller can be programmed to drive the corresponding heating element at a heat percentage HP of 90 for a short period of time in order to bring the oven up to the desired cooking ability more quickly.

The heat percentage HP is calculated every second according to the following formula: HP=(HS+(proportional gain*(HS−ET)

-   -   HS=heat setting     -   Proportional gain=2.0     -   ET=estimated temperature (defined below)         The proportional gain is a dimensionless multiplier that         determines the rate at which the toaster will be heated or         cooled when changing the heat settings. A larger proportional         gain will heat and cool for rapidly, and a smaller gain will         heat and cool more slowly. If the calculated heat percentage is         greater than 100, then the actual heat percentage will be 100.         Also, if the calculated heat percentage is less than zero, then         the actual heat percentage will be 0.

The controller is also programmed to control the speed of the conveyor 18 based upon a predicted cooking ability or estimated temperature ET of the toaster 10. For example, if the estimated temperature ET is relatively low, the controller 30 will decrease the speed of the conveyor 18 so that the food product can cook properly. Similarly, if the estimated temperature ET is relatively high, the controller 30 will increase the speed of the conveyor 18 so that the food product does not over cook. The estimated temperature ET is a dimensionless number between zero and 100 and represents a calculated estimation of the ability of the toaster to cook food. An estimated temperature ET of zero corresponds with a toaster that is turned off long enough for the toaster to achieve a steady-state temperature. Similarly, an estimated temperature ET of 100 corresponds with a toaster when it has been running at a maximum heat setting long enough to achieve a steady-state temperature. The estimated temperature ET is calculated every second according to the following formula: ET=(ET_(previous)*HTC)+(HP_(previous)*(1−HTC)

-   -   ET_(previous)=ET from the previous time period     -   HTC=heat time constant     -   HP_(previous)=HP from the previous time period         The heat time constant HTC is a number from zero to one that         represents the estimated rate at which a change in element         wattage causes a change in toasting ability. The heat time         constant HTC is derived empirically from element testing and is         subject to change if there are changes to the element wattage,         size, or other variable. In the illustrated embodiment, the HTC         is 0.9952 for both the top and bottom elements when the         temperature is rising and 0.9970 for both the top and bottom         elements when the temperature is falling.

The estimated temperature ET is used to calculate a heat-based speed modifier MOD_(heat) that will determine the desired speed of the conveyor. The heat-based speed modifier MOD_(heat) is a dimensionless number from zero to 100 that represents the % of maximum conveyor speed. The heat-based speed modifier MOD_(heat) is calculated every second according to the following formula: MOD_(heat)=1+(top gain*(ET_(top)−HS_(top))/HS_(top))+(bottom gain*(ET_(bot)−HS_(bot))/HS_(bot))

-   -   top gain=1.08     -   ET_(top)=estimated temperature of the top element     -   HS_(top)=heat setting of the top element     -   bottom gain=1.08     -   ET_(bot)=estimated temperature of the bottom element     -   HS_(bot)=heat setting of the bottom element         The top gain and bottom gain are used to describe a relationship         between heat difference and necessary speed difference that is         other than 1:1.

Using the above-calculated heat-based speed modification MOD_(heat), the conveyor will be driven at a speed corresponding with an actual cook time CT_(actual) that a modification of the setpoint cook time CT_(setpoint) and is calculated according to the following formula: CT_(actual)=MOD_(heat)*CT_(setpoint)*MOD_(other)

-   -   MOD_(other)=other modification

The toaster also includes a product sensor in the form of an electric eye (a transmitter 32, reflector 34, and receiver 36) that will sense when a product has been placed on the conveyor. The controller is programmed to enter a standby mode if it detects no activity (i.e., no products placed on the conveyor and no activity of the user input) for a period of time, such as fifteen minutes. When in the standby mode, the conveyor is stopped and the top and bottom heat settings are set at a user-programmable value, such as 25. In standby mode, once steady state operation has been achieved, the heat percentage HP of both the top and bottom heating elements is also 25, and the estimated temperature of the top and bottom elements is 25, according to the above-noted formulas.

The chart in FIG. 4 shows heat percentage HP, estimated temperature ET, and heat-based speed modification MOD_(heat) calculated according to the above formulas when changing from the standby mode (top and bottom heat settings at 25) to a cooking mode have a bottom heat setting of 90 and a top heating setting of 65. In this example, the toaster is in the standby mode from time=zero until time=60 seconds. At that point, the top heat setting is changed from 25 to 65, and the bottom heat setting is changed from 25 to 90. Starting at time=60 seconds, the calculated heat percentages, predicted cooking abilities, and heat-based speed modification MOD_(heat) will change according to the formulas.

After the heat percentage HP is calculated based on the heat setting HS and the estimated temperature ET, a vertical heat shift is applied. This is intended to account for heat rising to the top of the toaster in times when no product is going through the toaster. Vertical heat shift is applied when the toaster has nearly reached full cooking ability (i.e., heat-based speed modification MOD_(heat) is close to 100) and the electric eye has not detected a product for 120 seconds. Once these conditions are satisfied, the duty cycle of the top heating element drops by 2% every 80 seconds up to a maximum of 8%. If desired, the bottom heating element can also be modified duty cycle using a similar method. It should be appreciated that the above numbers are merely examples, and different numbers could be used without departing from the described concepts.

The controller is also programmed to adjust the conveyor speed to account for a product loading condition (i.e., the amount of product placed on the conveyor over a previous period of time). If a large number of products are placed on the conveyor, then the actual cooking ability of the toaster is less. In this regard, the controller monitors the data from the product sensor and calculates a product loading modification to the speed of the conveyor to account for the amount of product on the conveyor over a previous time period. In the illustrated embodiment, the product sensor is the electric eye that determines the presence or absence of a food product on the conveyor. Alternatively, the product sensor could be any suitable sensor, such as a mechanical switch. The signal from the electric eye is “0” when the eye is closed (i.e., product is present) and is “1” when the eye is open (i.e., no product is present).

To account for the readings from the electric eye, the controller calculates product loading calculation called an “eye calculation” EC. The eye calculation EC is a dimensionless number from zero to one and is calculated every second according to the following formula: EC=(EC_(previous)*ETC)+(Reading*(1−ETC)

-   -   EC_(previous)=previous eye compensation     -   ETC=eye time constant     -   Reading=electric eye reading (“0” or “1”)

The eye time constant is a number that predicts how much toasting ability a piece of food product will remove from the chamber, and is subject to change based on the product being cooked. In the illustrated embodiment, the eye time constant is 0.98. The lower boundary LB is the lowest level to which the speed will drop which being continuously loaded with products, and is subject to change based on the product being cooked. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower boundary is 0.65.

After the eye calculation EC is performed, the controller calculates an eye-based speed modifier MOD_(eye) that will be used to modify the speed of the conveyor. The eye-based speed modifier is a dimensionless number between zero and one and is calculated according to the following formula: MOD_(eye)=EC*(1−LB)+LB

-   -   LB=Lower Boundary of Eye

Using the above-calculated eye-based speed modification MOD_(eye), the conveyor will be driven at a speed corresponding with an actual cook time CT_(actual) that is calculated according to the following formula: CT_(actual)=MOD_(eye)*CT_(setpoint)*MOD_(other)

The chart in FIG. 5 shows eye calculation EC and eye-based speed modification MOD_(eye) calculated according to the above formulas under a changing signal from the electric eye. Specifically, at time=zero, the eye is open (“1”), indicating that no product is present on the conveyor. At time=60 seconds, the eye is closed (“0”) and held closed until time=360 seconds, at which time the eye is open for the remainder of the data.

Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating an oven to cook a food product, the method comprising: changing a heat setting of a heating element of the oven; selecting a cook time for the food product in the oven; driving a heating element of the oven at a heat power input based on the heat setting; predicting a cooking ability of the oven by calculating an estimated temperature in the oven using a formula that is a function of a heat power input during a previous time period; and modifying the cook time to a modified cook time based on the estimated temperature that was calculated using the formula.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the estimated temperature in the oven includes using the formula that is also a function of an estimated temperature in the oven during a previous time period that was calculated using the formula.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating the estimated temperature in the oven includes using the formula that is also a function of a heat time constant that represents an estimated rate at which a change in the heat setting causes a change in cooking ability.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a cook time includes setting a desired speed of a conveyor.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein modifying the cook time includes changing the desired speed of the conveyor.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein modifying the cook time includes decreasing the speed of the conveyor to increase cook time and increasing the speed of the conveyor to decrease cook time.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the heat power input is calculated using a formula that is a function of the heat setting and the estimated temperature.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the heat power input based on the estimated temperature; and driving the heating element at a modified heat power input.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the heat setting is determined based on the food product.
 10. An oven operable to cook a food product, the oven comprising: a housing including a cook chamber; a heating element adjacent the cook chamber; a controller in communication with the heating element to control a heat power input to the heating element, wherein the controller is programmed to predict a cooking ability of the oven by calculating an estimated temperature in the cook chamber using a formula that is a function of a heat power input to the heating element during a previous time period, and wherein the controller is programmed to modify a cook time of the food product in the cook chamber based on the estimated temperature that was calculated by the controller.
 11. The oven of claim 10, further comprising a conveyor that moves the food product through the cook chamber, wherein the controller is in communication with the conveyor to control operation of the conveyor, and wherein the controller modifies the cook time by changing a speed of the conveyor.
 12. The oven of claim 11, wherein the controller decreases the speed of the conveyor to increase the cook time and the controller increases the speed of the conveyor to decrease cook time.
 13. The oven of claim 10, wherein the formula is also a function of an estimated temperature in the oven during a previous time period that was calculated using the formula.
 14. The oven of claim 13, wherein the formula is also a function a heat time constant that represents an estimated rate at which a change in a heat setting causes a change in cooking ability.
 15. The oven of claim 10, wherein the controller calculates the heat power input using a formula that is a function of a heat setting and the estimated temperature.
 16. The oven of claim 10, wherein the controller modifies the heat power input based on the estimated temperature and the controller drives the heating element at the modified heat power input.
 17. The oven of claim 10, wherein the controller includes an input that receives information from a user related to the food product. 